Effective marketing is the key to selling houses. The goal is to attract potential buyers who have a genuine interest in the property for sale. Real estate agents who master the magic of marketing becomes the most profitable. One of the first steps is to know the neighborhood where they live and work. Find out the top ten secrets to successfully marketing local homes for sale.

Stay on Top of Local Market Conditions

Be aware of what’s happening in the local marketplace – and focus on what makes it the best place to live and work. Is a new business complex being built in the area, attracting more new buyers and renters? Has the city been under a financial strain due to a local storm or a close down of a large corporation? Did the local school district recently win awards? Is it a buyer’s or seller’s market? Know the market conditions before pricing, listing, and marketing homes. Consider the buyer personas who would want to buy in the area and craft meaningful marketing materials to attract them.

Need to Speak the Local Lingo? Keyword Research Tells All

Every region has its own way of speaking – and searching for information online. Know the words searchers use to find local homes for sale. Use resources such as Google AdWords to find out the local keywords used to search for properties. Select keywords based on traffic, competition, and search volume. Add them naturally into your property descriptions, content, and social media posts to attract targeted traffic and increase the number of potential buyers.

Craft Localized Property Descriptions With Bells and Whistles

Keyword research is just one crucial aspect of SEO. Another is crafting property descriptions with all the great bells and whistles. Details matter to search engines and possible buyers. Go beyond words by adding original images, video tours, and an overview of what the property offers. Focus on its features and benefits without embellishing – let people know if it needs updating or TLC. Honest descriptions attract the most targeted prospects.

Become a Neighborhood Guide

Get to know people – and help them remember you – by becoming a neighborhood guide. Contribute to local causes and take advantage of sponsorship opportunities to market your business. Post social media and blog updates about local events, happenings, and businesses. Develop a general tour guide of the area, focusing on parks, museums, galleries, and other cultural venues. Enjoy your favorite activities and become an integral part of related organizations, such as a yacht club or book club. People who want to buy or sell a home remember agents who are seen and heard around town.

Don’t Be Too Proud to Beg for Reviews – And Share Them

Reviews can be the lifeblood of a thriving real estate career. Don’t be too proud to beg for reviews. Encourage clients who appreciate your service to share their experiences on sites such as Yext, Google, and Facebook. Send a follow-up postcard after the closing to express congratulations and thanks with a one-liner to remind them to review the services and refer others. Recent reviews are essential to maintain authority and show agents are active. And remember to share the local reviews on social media. When people see someone they know and like post a positive review, it has an impact on their future choices.

Keep Track of Tags

Tagging is an essential tool to get local attention. Most localized social media searches include surrounding town and city names with a hashtag. People looking for homes, events, and information in the area use these hashtags. Add tags and alt tags to web content, blog articles, property images, and social media posts. Use tags focused on the property description and location to draw in a targeted audience.

Make the Social Media Connection

Some agents make the mistake of viewing social media as a place to post listings and leave. A well-written monologue may attract traffic and even generate a lead or two. Making a connection is what kicks off a successful career in real estate and helps agents maintain it. Become interactive on social media, joining local groups supporting the community and its events and activities. Connect with other locals, share their posts, and be engaged rather than just dropping in to share a listing. Affiliated Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate agents are backed by a brand that is known as a leader in the social media space, helping agents build a successful online presence that is easily localized.

Create and Attend Local Seminars

Libraries, community centers, senior groups, and other places all encourage and host local seminars. People are eager to learn about buying a first home, selling a house, flipping properties, and other real-estate related topics. Conduct a workshop offering useful information and share your business card at the end. Attend seminars in the area covered associated issues such as qualifying for a mortgage other legal aspects of buying or selling a house. Connect with other professionals in the field as well as people who are interested in the purchase or sale of real estate.

Become a Local Blogger

Want to take local expertise to the next level? Start a blog focused on what makes the town or city a great place to live and work. Announce upcoming events and grand openings. Encourage sharing and guest blogging from neighborhood businesses with something helpful to share. And connect with other local bloggers to support each other online and offline. Include entries sharing the latest listings with plenty of images and video to show off the area.

Establish a Neighborhood Referral Network

An agent who becomes an integral part of the neighborhood gets to know other successful professionals. Join the local chamber of commerce to connect with more movers and shakers. Encourage reciprocal referrals from mortgage bankers, attorneys, accountants, renovation and cleaning contractors, builders, and other real estate agents. Selling houses requires a team of pros. An agent with a referral list to offer clients helps facilitate a hassle-free process – which often means more referrals.

Go On a Live Tour

Social media offer opportunities for people to post live videos, such as Facebook Live, YouTube, and Snapchat. Go on a live tour of a property and encourage your connections to join you. Make the tour fun and exciting by focusing on fabulous aspects of the property and sharing local news that makes the areas a beautiful place to live. These ten tips are the secret sauce of successfully marketing local homes for sale – and selling houses for years to come. Top agents are also respected members of the community who are actively involved in it. Authenticity and dedication prove the agent is vested in the area and its people. Clients appreciate this level of service, so they come back for more and refer others.